This invention relates generally to enclosures for audio transducers, such as speaker enclosures for home audio systems, vehicle sound systems, personal headsets, hearing aids and the like. More particularly, this invention relates to an acoustic enclosure for an audio transducer which enables a single transducer to generate audio over a wide spectral range essentially identical to that afforded by systems which use multiple audio transducers to cover the same range of the audio spectrum.
The acoustics art is highly developed and many versions of acoustic systems are currently available in the market. One standard type of acoustic system uses a combination (usually three) of audio transducers mounted within a single housing enclosure. A first transducer type (usually termed a tweeter) generates audio in the high frequency range; a second transducer type (usually termed a woofer) generates audio in the low frequency range; and a third transducer type (usually termed a mid-range) generates audio in the mid-frequency range. Many different configurations of this standard type have been proposed and implemented: some using passive electrical networks and others using mechanical baffles to shape and enhance the quality of the sound produced by the transducers. These standard type systems generally require relatively large amounts of electrical power to operate the transducers and also require a relatively large amount of space (referred to in the trade as having a large footprint).
More recently, a different type of acoustic system has been introduced which combines smaller transducers in separate enclosures with electronic signal processing techniques to provide enhanced audio effects with lower electrical power consumption and a smaller footprint. Examples of this type of system abound in current advertisements for home theater systems. Such systems still require separate transducers, each dedicated to a particular portion of the audio spectrum (such as woofers, tweeters, and mid-range transducers).